The venerable Armour Square bar and grill provides more than the standard options. Patrons can find homemade specials like pork fajitas and baked clams to soak up the “Sunday Funday” Bloody Mary specials.

Of course, these are just the places that have applied for sidewalk cafe permits, which allow a restaurant to take over a part of the public sidewalk.

Restaurants can also apply for patio permits, which allow an establishment to serve food outdoors on their own property.

The city has seen an 18 percent increase in permits for sidewalk cafes since 2010, according to Mika Stambaugh of the city's Department of Business Affairs, which processes the permits. The number of permits issued rose from 983 that year to top 1,000 in 2011 and on to 1,158 last year.

Stambaugh said the city has encouraged the expansion of sidewalk cafes through regular workshops on the application process, including ones in both January and February this year.

The city has a website explaining how a restaurant can request an application packet. According to Ald. Anthony Beale's office, a business can apply at any time of the year, but the permits cover a nine-month period from March 1 to Dec. 1 and have to be re-approved each year, at a minimum cost of $600 depending on the size and location of the sidewalk cafe.